Emma Raducanu trusts Nick Cavaday and will likely continue to extend his partnership with him a bit longer after some good grass swing results says former British #1 Jo Durie.
Having switched a number of coaches during her short career, including stints with Andrew Richardson – the man behind her 2021 US Open glory – Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs – the Brit once again joined forces with Cavaday earlier this year as the latter was joined by Jane O’Donoghue.
The pair has a long history as Cavaday coached Raducanu in her junior years and was also her coach at the LTA Loughborough Academy. Their partnership is once again bearing fruits as Raducanu has displayed glimpses of her precocious self that sealed a maiden major title at Flushing Meadows three years ago.
The 21-year-old reached the final four of the Nottingham Open as she defeated her first top five player Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne and also entered the R16 at Wimbledon having scored a top 10 win against WTA #9 Greek Maria Sakkari.
Raducanu is set to crack the top 100 ranks once the WTA rankings get updated at the end of Wimbledon and former WTA #5 Durie feels the work he is doing with Cavaday is paying dividends, proclaiming their partnership could stretch further.
“It is a trust thing. She knew Nick from her early days. You have got to have trust in the people around you as you’re making plans and dreams together,” she told Grosvenor Sport.
“That is the most important thing in my mind. She is working well with him and it is showing.
“Emma likes to take knowledge and move on. That is the way she did it. Is it right or wrong? It is not something I would personally have done. I liked a long-term plan.
“Maybe now she will be with Nick a bit longer as she works on her plan and the way she sees the future. It does look like she is more settled.
“Sometimes, too many siren voices can cause muddle. It’s not as if her game is complicated. She serves well, she returns well. Should it be that complicated? I don’t think so.”
After her 2021 US Open success, Raducanu sustained multiple injuries and experienced a dip in her form during the 2022 season before eventually returning to the WTA circuit last year but only managed to play a handful of events and had no choice but to undergo surgeries on both her wrists and left ankle.
She had to get her confidence back which was not coming easily but fast forward to July 2024 and the former British No. 1 is in good spirits.
“She is in a good place. Beating a top 10 player for the first time and looking much more comfortable on court,” Durie added. “She is talking differently, enjoying herself more, all the things you want to hear from someone who we mustn’t forget is still only 21.
“She has been through so much. So much has happened for her, I won’t say to her. Who wins a Grand Slam the way she did? No one.
“She is in a better place with her tennis and herself and enjoying it more. Her game is suited to the grass.”